By the Fireside
by Moony0
Summary: Just a really scrappy fanfic about Jacob and Leah for a contest. Incomplete rough draft!
1. Rough Draft 1

**This story is posted in drafts. Right now, you're looking at the very first, rough draft. The other drafts are the other chapters. :) Please, review. But don't judge this draft. **

I watched as the sparks from the fire wandered through the air like lost fireflies. The flames below crackled with delight. Not that I'm a pyromaniac or anything, but it might have actually been really relaxing if this situation wasn't so dang awkward.

Jacob sat across from me, illuminated by the fire's warm glow. There was no trace of his normally playful demeanor. Instead, his face was nearly blank of any expression. His eyes had a haunted longing, and it looked as if he were searching for something in the light that danced before him. Something he would never find.

A chill ran down my spine. No matter how much I tried not to think like some type of *pathetic nice person*, I couldn't help but pity him. Sam had left me once, and even that was almost too much to handle. Jacob had had his heart broken by Bella twice – first personally, then through her mutant spawn. Even so, I understood his heartache and I'm pretty sure after all this he's gone through he could probably summon up an ounce of empathy for me. Hell, we could start a club. Call it _People Against Imprinting Nonsense. PAIN_ for short.

Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf howled. Under normal circumstances, I would have phased to see what all the fuss was about, but I'd learned to ignore it in the few years Jacob and I had gone off on our own. Well, not totally on our own. Renesmee had to accompany us. She and Jacob were a package deal, with a label that said _Individual units not for sale. _Tough luck for me. I didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, anyway. It was either join his pathetic little pack or risk going back to Sam and the rest of them. Personally, I would rather be skinned alive and have the remains thrown in a pit of rabid bloodsuckers than go back to _him. _


	2. Rough Draft 2

**I like the beginning of this (as you can tell, I used it in my final draft) but I think she gets too... oh, un-Leah-ish in the later part. And the last parts of dialogue are WAY eww. Bad lines. **

"Face it, Jacob. She's not coming back."

A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. I could tell he was trying to make himself sound like he _wasn't_ about to fall into a million different pieces. It didn't really work as well as he had probably hoped.

"If that's the best you can do to shut me up, I'm going to be talking all night." When he didn't respond, I turned my head to look at him.

Jacob sat on a dead log across from me, gazing aimlessly into the fire that separated us. There was no trace of his normally playful demeanor. Instead, it had been taken over by hopelessness. He was nearly expressionless, but the lines on his face made him look much older than seventeen, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. A haunted longing smoldered in his dark eyes as he continued to stare into the blaze. It almost looked like he was searching for something in the light that danced before him. Something he would never find.

I tore my eyes away from him, averting my gaze to the full moon that hung above the treetops. Seeing Jacob like that was nerve-wracking. Not only did I feel his hurt through the mental link that bonded us, but I couldn't help but remember how I felt when Sam left.

And, okay, I'll admit it. Jacob wasn't such a bad person himself once you got to know him. He was actually kind of bearable when he wasn't around that intolerable half-leech. If you think about it, his imprinting was actually pretty disgusting. The whole thing was unnatural, but a werewolf and a vampire-human hybrid? Just imagine their _child! _If he had never imprinted on Renesmee, we could… no, _would _have been…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had promised myself I wouldn't think like that. Getting my heart broken once was enough for my lifetime.

Across the fire, Jacob muttered something I couldn't discern. I looked back down. "What?" I asked quietly.

He met my eyes. "You're right."

I opened my mouth to reply, to brag about how I was right all along, how he never should have trusted that perfect brat, and maybe to throw in a couple of _I-told-you-so's _on the side, but I couldn't. I just couldn't do it.

While I sat there gaping like an idiot, he turned his eyes to the forest surrounding us. "Renesmee will be happier now that she's gone off with Nahuel. We'll both be happier." Jacob sighed. "Imprinting may seem real... but in my heart it's false."

"I guess you can't call it true love anymore."

Jacob smiled for the first time in a week. "I guess not." He turned his gaze back to me. "But there is someone who I can."

I couldn't help it: I grinned back at him and laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"I love you?"

"It's an improvement."


	3. Final Draft

**This is my final draft. Thank you so much to everyone who commented - I really appreciate it! Remember, if you read it, please comment! Sorry it's so short, there was a word limit. :) **

"Face it, Jacob. She's not coming back."

A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. I could tell he was trying to make himself sound like he _wasn't_ about to fall into a million different pieces. It didn't really work as well as he had probably hoped.

"If that's the best you can do to shut me up, I'm going to be talking all night." When he didn't respond, I turned to look at him.

Jacob was sitting across from me, his sullen face illuminated by the fire that separated us. His usually playful demeanor was replaced by hopelessness. Wrinkles lined his face, making him appear much older than he was. A desperate longing burned in his dark eyes that I'm pretty sure wasn't just the reflection of the firelight. It took all the strength I had to restrain myself from snarling out loud.

Who was that half-leech to think she could just walk away and leave Jacob like this? Renesmee was just like her worthless mother - going around, breaking people's hearts just for the fun of it. And I hated them for it. Both she and Bella deserved to burn in…

"You're right." I looked up in shock at Jacob's words. It couldn't be… did he just admit I was right? _Jacob Black? _

Well, I did tell him so. I opened my mouth to say just that, but something stopped me. Even though I _excel _at kicking a man when he's down, I couldn't break Jacob any more than he already was. Not when I knew how it felt. Not after we had worked so hard to build a rough understanding of each other.

I found the nerve to speak. "Not that I care, but you know, I think Renesmee will be happier with Nahuel." It came out more bitter than I had intended.

Jacob looked up at me, hesitating slightly before saying, "I've been thinking…"

"Well, congratulations. There's a first time for everything," I joked. He just ignored me.

"I've been thinking, about this imprinting situation, and I've realized that it's not the same… It's not _really _love. Just some sick mimic." He hesitated. "I think _I'll _be happier now, too."

"That's good."

Jacob and I sat in silence for the rest of the night, enjoying the warmth and light of the fire and the eventual peace that had settled between us. A _true _companionship.


End file.
